News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-28

walked up to our Captain, who wa:
standing stiffly on the quarter deck,
touched his hat, and said:
'I'm mate of the brig yonder, and am
sent to see if you can spare us a few
casks of water"
'That briggs q slaver," exclaimed oul
Captain, who seemed filed with indig.
nation.
Certainly, and we've got 800 niggers
aboard who want water the worst way"
"How came you in such fix?"
Had our cargo all in, and were fill
our water casks when a cruiser hove in
sight, and we had to cut. But for this
calm We should have been back on the
coast two days ago."
'D-n you, sir, you ought to be hung
to the yardarml" shouted the Captain
as he paced back and forth.
Every man to his own idea," calmly
rephel the mate. "The main thing
now is to get water for the niggers If
we don't get it not one of them will be
/ alive tomorrow night"
Our Captain hung out for a while.
Ii we had been armed SO as to give us a
fair show, I have no doubt that he
would have attempted the capture of the
brig. While he hated to save the blacks
to the profit of the pirates, he was too
merclfu to be the indirect cause of their
death, and he finally consented to spare
| five casks of water. Arrangements for
! the transfer were being made, when the
| furious hubbub of half an hour before
was repeated, only there was more saw
ageness to it this time 1t did not die
| away as before, but kept increasing in
! intensity, and lasting so long that the
mate leaped upon the rail and looked
toward the brig, and muttered:
''The devils are making break at last.
Why don't the men use the guns2"
His voice was followed by the reports
of dozen muskets, and they were still
cracking away when some one stood on
the rail of the brig and waved his hat IN
our direction.
"The niggers are loose" exclaimed
THAT signal is for me, but I'll return
for the water as soon as the outbreak is
put down"
He was off In another moment, and
his men pulled such stroke that their
boat was carried to the briggs side in
four or five minutes. She was run un-
der the bows and the mem scrambled
up over the chains. We knew that the
outbreak was serious, for the hubbub |
increased, and we could see the crew
rushing wildly about. There was con-
hnual pop of musketry, and we became |
so excited that every man in the ship, |
cook included, hurried aloft to look |
down on the strangers decks. As We
lay broadside to each other, and the dis
tance was SO short, We could see all that |
took place. Despite the desperate eff
forts of the crew, the negros were find
ing their way ON deck. They were shot
and clubbed and hacked, but they came
faster than they could be taken care of,
and in half an hour from the time the
mates boat left us the blacks had pos
session of at least one half the brig.
They got hold of some of the muskets
and cutlasses, and they seemed to know
how to use the former as well as the
sailors. The forward gratings were
prled off and the hole emptied of its liv-
ing cargo, and during all this time
there was fierce fighting in the waist of
the brig.
The blacks had no fear, and once
loose their savage natures were
thoroughly aroused. Whom they got
possession of half the vessel, they cap
-ured the water-butt on deck, and we
saw them drinking with the bullets fly
ing past their ears. The water seemed
to add to their desperation, for soon
after getting possession OF it a hundred
Or more blacks made grand rush, arm
ed with every sort of weapon, and after
a conflict of five minutes they had pos
session of the ship. Three of the crew
saved their lives for the time being by
aloft, but all the others seemed
to have been killed. You cannot sup
pose We were quiet spectators of such
scene. We wanted to be called away to
help suppress the outbreak, and under
A French, German or American captain
would have been. A British captain
argued that slavers were worse than
pirates, and that if a whole crew was
by cargo of stolen blacks,
It was an act of Providence. When our
excitement had become intense, and
some of the men were about to arm
themselves, the Captain called out: ,
'1t's none of our fight, lads. Those ,
pirates might as well be killed now as
% be hung hereafter. And, besides, We
haven't been asked. :
Certainly not, but it was because the {
opan1ard knew that we would sooner !
nd in his capture. 1t cut us men, ,
hough, to see him making a fight of
wenty to three hundred, and gradually
alling back and fighting to the last,
without asking for our help. When the
Srand rush was made, and the remnant /
# the crew driven aloft, sort of groan /
vent through our ship, and more than ,
me muttered against our Captains pol
cy. When the blacks got full posses
ion, many of them drank sea water,
ion, many of them drank sea water, I
nd it was only a short time before a
ask of rum was broached and served !
mt to all. When the vile stuff had be- :
,an to take effect, hell was let loose I
board the brig. Such a surging to and /
rol Such iabbering and shouting and =:
crcaming The bodies of the dead /
ailors were stripped naked, kicked about .
he decks, and mutilated in the most /